The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1887-11-04
DAVID COPPERFTELD AND IT'S
AUTHOR.
lPr.. Es.ay. read a. wal,eora County Far ]

A spendthrift is one of the curses of
society. He is curse to his father and
mother, to his wife and children, If he
has any, to his creditors, and to himself;
and after all this he is curse to man.
kind IN general, because of his influence
and example.
Some say that it would be a good
thing If we were all spendthrifts, be-
cause it would make the money circu-
late more freely. They are partly right
and partly wrong. There would be
more money in circulation, it is evident,
but would the world be bettered by it :
If we were all spendthrifts we would
spend our money as fast as we could
get it, and instead of less than half of us
being without money, we should all of
us be without money. Thus matters
would be great deal worse than they
are now.
Of all spendthrifts lazy ones are the
worst, because instead of going to work
and trying to earn the money they
squander, they are always borrowing
of their more industrious friends.
AS an illustration of this let us take
Micawber. He was spendthrift. He
never had any money. He was always
in debt. He was always waiting for
something to turn Up. In London he
was waiting for something to turn up;
in Plymouth he was waiting for some.
thing to turn up, and in Canterbury he
was waiting for something to turn up
The. only place where he seemed to dc
anything for himself was after he emf
grated to Australia. After his emigra.
ton, instead of waiting for something tc
turn up, he seemed to have turned over
a new leaf himself and have gone to
work in earnest, and as result of this
he succeeded. He was able to give
good advice, however, if he did not take
it himself, and was aspendthrift, as may
be seen by. the following advice which
he gave to David Copperfield:
Annual income, twenty pounds. An
nual expenditures, nineteen, ought and
six. Result, happiness. Annual in
come, twenty pounds. Annual expendi
lures, twenty pounds, ought and six
Result, misery. His spirits were very
elastic. One moment he would bt
bowed down with grief, and an houl
from that time-or sometimes as soor
as his creditor was gone-he would bt
cheerful and happy again, and planning
what additions he would make to hi
home in case something should turn up
After he had given his note or his I. 0
u, as he called it, he considered deb
paid.
Dickens made q master-stroke il
Micawber, and pointed an excellent
moral in his reformation and goot
fortune in Australia.
In David Copperfeld, which was frs
published in 184S, it is said the author
first introduced many instances of hi
own life. This seems probable, as many
of his characters, though odd las theil
names( are still natural. Mr.. Chillip
the doctor, is almost too meek to be quite
life-like, and it would be difficult to fine
one like him, yet there are. unfortunate
ly great many scoundrels like Trial
Heep and Mr.. Murdstone.
There are quite number Micawbers
but not many Peggotys or Hams there
are many Steerforths and Mrs. Strong
and Doras, but not many men like DR.
Strong nor many women like David
aunt or Agnes. OF all the characters il
David Copperfeld, Traddles is the bes
and most cheerful, taking things as the,
come and making the best of them, an(
working all the time to better himself.
In describing his characters Dickens
does not give a very long description a
first, but builds them up to what hi
wants as he goes along, and on the whole
his characters are as natural and true tt
life as those Of any other author. His
works are very interesting, and although
in David Copperfeld he used the tern
whether or not, or its equivalent, wheth
er or no, ten times, his style is good, anG
he is an author of whom any nation
might be proud.
He was born at Portsmouth, England
Feb. Z, 1912. His father was poor, anc
his childhood was spent in toll. Yet il
spite of all this he managed to obtain a
good education. His father was first
an employe ofthe pay department of the
navy, and afterwards was reporter OIL
parliamentary debates. Charles, after
studying in college, was placed in Law
Office to study law. Not liking law, he
became reporter of parliamentary de-
bates, like his father. He was attached
to the staff of the Morning Chronicle, q
London daily. In this paper first ap.
peared sketches by Boz-his first efforts
at literature-though he used to tel
stories of his own composition when he
was only ten years of age.
In 1888 he married daughter OIL
George Hogarth, music and art critic
In 1841 he visited the United States
where he was kindly received but he
abused this hospitality by publishing in
1912 his American Notes, in which he
ridiculed American Institutions, man.
ners, etc. In 1874 he went to Italy. In
1916 he accepted the chief editorship of
the Daily Neus, which he soon resigned
In 1850 he established Household Words
and in 1859 Az the Year Round, both
weekly papers.
Among his best novels are, David
Copperfeld, Nicholas Nickelby, Little
Dorrit, and Pickwick Papers. He left
an unfinished novel, The Mystery oil
Edwin brood, which he commenced
during the last year Of his life. His
death, June 9th, 1870, was very sudden
and his loss was felt not only by his own
nation, but by all the English speaking
people. G. A. PHELPS.